“Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 27:4 Mean?
"Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together." God speaks — and the tone is unexpected. After chapters of judgment, God pauses to clarify His disposition: fury is not in me.
"Fury is not in me" (chemah) — the burning wrath, the hot anger. God is saying: this isn't what drives me. My default setting isn't rage. The judgment I've been pronouncing isn't the expression of a God who enjoys destroying. It's the necessary response to briers and thorns — things that choke out the vineyard He planted (v. 2-3).
"Who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle?" — this is almost bemused. Who would be foolish enough to fight Me with weeds? The briers and thorns represent everything that opposes God's purposes — sin, rebellion, enemy nations. And God's response to them is effortless: "I would go through them, I would burn them together." No struggle. No close battle. He'd walk through them and they'd burn on contact.
But the verse that follows (v. 5) reveals God's preference: "Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me." God would rather the briers grab hold of Him for peace than be burned. The fire is available. But so is the embrace.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Is your default image of God more furious or more gracious? Where did that image come from — and does this verse challenge it?
- 2.God says fury is not in Him. How does that change the way you approach Him when you've failed?
- 3.The briers can burn or grab hold of God's strength for peace. Which posture describes your current relationship with God?
- 4.What does it mean practically to 'take hold of God's strength' and make peace with Him? What would that look like in your life this week?
Devotional
"Fury is not in me." If your image of God is primarily angry — if you picture Him scanning the earth looking for reasons to punish — this verse rewrites that picture. God is not fueled by fury. He can execute judgment. He will burn the briers. But that's not His heart. It's not what drives Him.
The briers-and-thorns image is almost playful in its confidence. God isn't threatened by opposition. He doesn't lie awake worrying about the forces arrayed against Him. Who would set weeds against the Creator of the universe in battle? He'd walk through them. They'd burn on contact. It wouldn't even be a fight.
But here's where it gets beautiful: God doesn't want to burn the briers. The very next verse says He'd rather they grab hold of His strength and make peace. The same hand that sets fire to opposition is extended in offer of reconciliation. The choice is yours: burn or grab hold.
If you've been living as if God's fury is aimed at you — as if you're the brier He's coming to burn — this verse offers a different possibility. Fury is not in Him. He'd rather you take hold of His strength than be consumed by it. The fire is real. So is the invitation. You get to choose which one you meet.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Fury is not in me,.... Against his vineyard he takes so much care of, his church and people, whom he has loved with an…
Fury is not in me - That is, I am angry with it no more. He had punished his people by removing them to a distant land.…
The prophet is here singing of judgment and mercy,
I. Of judgment upon the enemies of God's church (Isa 27:1),…
Fury is not in me Or, wrath have I none. These words naturally go with the first stanza, expressing, as they seem to do,…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture